Impact of Covid on Fraser Coast child care centres

Local childcare providers have faced the same problem as schools of losing staff who failed to comply, after the mandate threatened to knock thousands of educators from the state’s workforce.

The State Government mandate requiring the vaccination of all education workers has failed to disrupt a solid and growing childcare industry on the Fraser Coast.

Childcare providers have faced the same problem as schools of losing staff who failed to comply, after the mandate threatened to knock thousands of educators from the state’s workforce.

While the mandate had impacted Fraser Coast childcare centres minimally, with only one centre admitting some staff loss, childcare centres have had to make other major adaptations.

“Childcare centres have found themselves at the forefront of the Covid-19 response,” a Goodstart Early Learning Centre spokesperson said.

The Goodstart franchise, which employs 175 staff across Wide Bay, including centres at Maryborough, Pialba, Dundowran and Point Vernon, ensured all staff were double vaccinated by early December to prepare for border reopenings.

“This is one part of our ‘Covid Shield’ which each of our centres implements based on their local knowledge of their community, current transmission rates and expert advice where required,” the spokesperson said.

Their preparations involved educating staff who were concerned about vaccination or who had a medical exemption with briefings from epidemiologists, a paediatrician and First Nations health professionals and free medical appointments provided, they said.

“We have granted a small number of medical exemptions and while we are still working through our management process with a small number of unvaccinated employees, we have not terminated any team members in Queensland.

“Employees with a medical exemption cannot work in our centres and are doing other duties.

“A handful of team members have resigned rather than be vaccinated and we have offered to reemploy them should they reconsider their vaccination status.”

TG‘s Child Care at Urangan had not been affected by the mandate as all staff were vaccinated, centre director Alicia Moody said.

While some sectors were experiencing a loss, she said the childcare industry on the Fraser Coast had been growing, with her centre recently expanding due to high growth in the region.

“We are very supportive of each other – all the childcare services in the region– I feel like everyone is going above and beyond to support each other in these challenging times.”

Torquay Child Care Centre and Bayside Early Learner at Pialba, each said they had not lost staff as all had been compliant with the regulation.

Little Gems Child Care & Early Learning Centre in Maryborough started the year with fully vaccinated staff, centre director Kyla Rapps said, but the past few months had been challenging.

“It was a worrying time, but the staff here all understood the health implications, because we work with young children,” she said.

“I don’t think any of us would have forgiven ourselves if we passed something on - my youngest baby is three months old.”

She said the centre was sanitised every day and all children had their temperatures checked morning and afternoon. If children had a temperature, parents were contacted, and children were taken home.

She believed their polices had staved off any cases.

Goodstart Early Learning Centre said they had lately stepped up precautions such as limiting visitors to Goodstart centres, families dropping off and picking up in foyers using HEPA filters and keeping windows and doors open.

Learning and play was moved outdoors as much as possible, the spokesperson said, with frequent cleaning and practising social distancing also a priority.

“We cannot stop COVID moving through our communities, but the safety measures our teams are using are successfully limiting its spread.”